Cape Town - The Red Cross Children’s Hospital has seen nearly 200 children who were admitted in the first five months of the year either due to negligence or violence.
A clear indication that more action is needed to identify children at risk and implement interventions, Red Cross Hospital’s CEO Dr Anita Parbhoo said.
According to the hospital its Child Protection Services (CPS) treated 183 children between January 1 and May 26, 2023.
These cases relate to different types of abuse. Physical abuse cases were 69, neglect 50, sexual 25, child-at-risk 29, gunshot six, physical-neglect three and neglect-abandonment one case.
Mostly involving male children.
More than 40% of the children were between the ages of 1 to 5 years. In one trauma and graphic case presented, a 9-year-old boy was admitted with multiple hot iron burns in his body, he has since been removed from his mother’s care after she lied claiming he burnt himself.
The day was observed two days after Police Minister Bheki Cele tabled the crime statistic covering the first three months of the year, in the children's categories attempted murders increased with 360 children being victims, 67 children raped at educational premises and six at special needs schools.
The Children’s Hospital Trust has launched the “I am every child”, a campaign aimed at raising R100 000 that will go towards the overall R8.9 million project to strengthen child protection services at Red Cross.
The project will bring together different role players including social workers, nurses and police.
It will assist in identifying abuse at an early stage, protocols to be taken, children at risk and intervening to promote health and safety.
“We see around 600 to 700 children who have experienced violence in some way. This is a reflection of what is happening in our society.
Raising awareness is crucial for us as adults who are responsible for protecting children. Whether it’s your child or not we all have a role to play and are responsible for children's safety.
Any child that dies as a result of the behaviour of an adult is a problem.
If there are zero deaths then we can say something or we can answer how safe it is for a child to use an outside or local shop alone,” Parbhoo said.
Health and Wellness MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said: “We will continue to ensure that our facilities provide quality health care for children and that we further collaborate with other departments and NGOs.
This also requires communities and adults also fulfilling their respective roles in our children’s lives, as it truly does take a village to raise a child.”
Meanwhile Western Cape Commissioner for Children, Christina Nomdo said NGOs rendering statutory child protection services have reported to be at breaking point.
“The challenges identified by the organisations include the high turnover rate of Social Service Professionals (SSPs) which has given rise to challenges with filling vacant posts.
“This, they say, consequently causes delays in effective service delivery, case work backlogs, and clients having to constantly adapt to new SSPs. The sector has also seen an increased demand for their services caused by an array of social ills.
With the diminishing funding, from the government and private donors, the sector is struggling to keep up with this demand.”
Cape Times